French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Tuesday, November 11, according to Reuters.
In September, France officially recognized the Palestinian State at the United Nations General Assembly in response to Israel’s offensive on Gaza.
Macron also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of committing “shameful and disgraceful,” actions in Gaza.
In a special television appearance broadcast on the TF1 channel, Macron noted that it is not for Netanyahu to decide whether this constitutes genocide, but rather for historians.
“What Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is doing today in Gaza is unacceptable. It is shameful and disgraceful,” Macron said.
Israeli French Relations
Since the outbreak of Gaza War in October 2023, the relations between Tel Aviv and Paris have witnessed mounting tensions.
After Macron revealed his intension to recognize the Palestinian statehood, Israel has barred his visit to Israel with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announcing that his country would never accept Macron’s visit as long as France plans to recognize the Palestinian State.
Moreover, Netanyahu has dismissed a request by Macron to make a brief visit ahead of the UN General Assembly in September 2025.
In May, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel planned to build a “Jewish Israeli state” in the occupied West Bank, according to Al-Arabiya.
Katz’s remarks followed Israel’s announcement of the creation of 22 new settlements in the West Bank.
“This is a decisive response to the terrorist organizations that are trying to harm and weaken our hold on this land,” Katz said.
Katz also noted that the new settlements would be a clear message to Macron and his associates: they will recognize a Palestinian state on paper – but Israel will build the Jewish Israeli state here on the ground.
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